Wildcat women's track and field collect 20th straight All-Academic honors
For the 20th consecutive season, the Wayne State College women's track and field team has received the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) All-Academic Team Award.
Five Wildcat throwers also earned individual All-Academic honors as Hailey Baker, Brooklyn Kruse, Olivia Schwarzrock, Torrance Tso and Reilly Young were recognized.
To be eligible for the team academic award, an institution must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher while individual award winners must carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher. They must also have finished their respective event ranked in the top 50 nationally or have competed on a relay team that finished in the top 35 nationally.
As a team, Wayne State women's track and field finished the 2024-25 school year with a team grade point average of 3.477.
Individually, senior thrower Hailey Baker from Blair recorded a 3.621 grade point average majoring in family and consumer science education. She earned All-NSIC honors during the outdoor season placing second in the hammer throw at 180' 10".
Kruse, a sophomore thrower from Wayne, had an NCAA provisional mark in the shot put during the outdoor season at 45' 7 ¾". She had a 3.975 grade point average majoring in elementary education.
Schwarzrock, a junior thrower of Gibbon, Minnesota, medaled in the shot put at both NSIC Championships this year thanks to a fourth-place finish in the outdoor season (45' 10") and a seventh-place mark indoors at 43' 7 ¼". She finished with a 3.868 grade point average majoring in criminal justice.
Tso, a sophomore from Norfolk High School, maintained a 3.71 grade point average majoring in criminal justice and psychology. She was an NCAA national qualifier this spring in the discus and earned All-NSIC honors placing third in the discus at 154' 2".
Young, a senior thrower from Scotia (Central Valley HS), carried a 3.425 grade point average majoring in health and physical education/K-12. She earned NCAA All-American honors with a fourth place finish in the discus at 171' 9" and was named NSIC Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year after winning the discus (164' 11") and placing third in the hammer throw at 162' 8".
WSC men's track and field take home All-Academic honors
Along with the Wayne State College men's track and field team, six individuals were honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with All-Academic Awards.
As a team, WSC collected the honor for a 16th consecutive season with a team cumulative grade point average of 3.354. Receiving individual honors were seniors Daniel Elge and Wyatt Nissen, juniors Alex Leuenberger and Daylin Mallory, sophomore Jaxson Ninete and freshman Emmaneul Badejo.
To be eligible for the team academic award, an institution must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher while individual award winners must carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher. They must also have finished their respective event ranked in the top 50 nationally or have competed on a relay team that finished in the top 35 nationally.
Elge, a senior thrower from Aurora, maintained a grade point average of 3.468 majoring in applied human and sport physiology this season. He earned All-NSIC honors at the NSIC Outdoor Championships placing second in the hammer throw (189' 2") and the shot put (55' 10 1/2").
Nissen, a senior from Albion (Boone Central HS), carried a 3.746 grade point average majoring in sport management. He collected All-NSIC honors on a pair of relay teams – the first-place 4 x 100 meter relay team and the second-place 4 x 400 meter relay team at the NSIC Outdoor Championships.
Leuenberger, a junior from Waverly, ran a leg on the second place 4 x 400-meter relay team at the NSIC Outdoor Championships. He produced a 3.908 grade point average majoring in health and physical education K-12.
Mallory, a junior thrower from Norfolk HS, had an All-NSIC medal in the shot put with a personal-best mark of 55' 3" to place third. He carried a 3.311 grade point average majoring in exercise science this year.
Ninete, a sophomore thrower from Elkhorn (Elkhorn HS), carried a 3.958 grade point average majoring in social science/history and had a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw at the NSIC Outdoor Championships (187' 9").
Badejo, a freshman sprinter from Nigeria, set numerous school records this spring and capped a standout freshman season earning All-American honors placing fourth in the 400-meter dash at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships with a new school record time of 46.05 seconds. He was named the NSIC Men's Newcomer of the Year and had a 3.608 grade point average majoring in mass communication/digital film production and theatre.
